Lost Door Key Replacement Services: Regain Access Fast

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If you lose your keys:

  • Try to find them. If you think you may have left them somewhere, retrace your steps. Check your pockets, bags and other belongings. Ask your family and friends if they have seen them.
  • Contact your insurance company. They may cover the cost of replacing your locks.
  • A locksmith can help you regain access to your home or business if you are locked out. They can also make you new keys.

To prevent losing your keys:

  • Get spare keys. Keep one spare key in a safe place, such as with a trusted friend or neighbour.
  • Keep your home/business tidy. Cluttered spaces make it more likely that you will lose your keys.
  • Use bright keychains. A bright keychain will make your keys easier to find.

Losing your keys can be frustrating, but there are solutions if ever you’ve had it happen to you.

Naturally, the below information is useful for resolving the problem of lost keys after the fact, but we’ve also included some tips to help prevent it from happening again in the future as well.

Imagine the following scenario: you get home, sift through your pockets or purse, rummaging about for your house key, only to find that it isn’t there.

Your heart starts racing and you quickly check your other pockets or empty out the contents of your purse, then suddenly you realise that it simply isn’t there.

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Table of contents:

Lost Keys

Finding lost door key replacement: What happens next?

Below are four tips to help you regain access to your home or business:

1. Keep calm and think

Although you may be inclined to panic, the last thing you should do is to try and break into your front door by force.

The first thing you should do after discovering your keys are missing is to think about where you may have left them.

Do you have a spare key hidden somewhere or does your family have a spare key that you can use?

Do you know where they are or are they simply gone and you’ve no idea where they may be?

If you know where the keys are, is it possible to get them back?

If your keys are locked inside the property, you probably won’t need to worry about them falling into the wrong hands.

If your key was on a keyring with other keys to someone else’s property, it is a good idea to let the person know so that they can take action.

2. Contact the police

If you’re certain that you’ve lost your keys, report it to the police.

Inform them of any important details regarding your keys that can help them identify the keys if they are later found.

A certain keyring or keychain, or engravings on the keys can help set them apart.

3. Notify insurance

It may feel embarrassing but do try to notify your insurance provider that you’ve lost your keys.

Many insurance policies can cover the cost of key replacement and/or changing your locks if necessary, but it’s also important due diligence.

If your keys can be traced back to your property and you did not take any preventative action, it is possible that your insurance provider can invalidate a burglary claim because they can simply say that you did not take adequate precautions to prevent the burglary.

4. Call a locksmith

The bread-and-butter service of most locksmiths is to respond to property lockouts.

Locksmiths can open your doors and let you inside the property, change your locks, and duplicate your keys - all within half an hour to an hour, depending on the locks and the labour required.

Door key replacement near me: Picking the right locksmith

Before calling a locksmith, however, it’s important that you follow a few simple steps to ensure you get proper service from a qualified professional:

Find legitimate, reputable locksmiths

DBS checks, affiliation with locksmith associations, and years of experience tend to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.

All locksmiths on this site have been vetted and approved.

Obtain a quote before engaging in business

Provide the locksmith with as much detail as possible as this will help them set a realistic and accurate quote.

Locksmiths that insist on a price that’s too good to be true and do not care to ask about your locks, door, and key are likely rogue traders engaging in a bait-and-switch scam.

Make sure that your preferred locksmith is able to respond at a reasonable time. 

Emergency lockouts require dependable locksmiths that operate 24/7, but will often cost more for labour.

Choose a local, independent locksmith for quick response times.

Replacing lost keys: Why does it happen?

People lose the keys to their homes and businesses quite often.

Brits spend 140 days of their lives searching for lost items.

What was found to be one of the most common things lost by adults?

That’s right, keys! Below are some of the most common reasons why people lose keys:

Disorganised spaces

Cluttered homes and piles of bits and bobs can make finding your keys like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Tidy up your home and keep your keys someplace consistent and free of clutter.

Forgetfulness

Forgetting where you last put your keys is one of the most obvious and common reasons why you may have lost or misplaced them.

It’s one thing if you forgot your keys in the lock or maybe put them in the wrong pocket, but it’s quite another if you forgot them on the bus or in a public place.

Being rushed

Most of us live busy (even hectic) lifestyles, and it can be hard to stay on top of all of our duties and responsibilities.

Something as seemingly simple as grabbing your keys before you head out the door can be overlooked when you’re in a rush.

Stress and fatigue

Similarly, if you’re feeling stressed or exhausted, you may be more prone to losing your keys.

Extreme fatigue has similar effects to being intoxicated, which can lead to you forgetting your keys or losing them.

Changes in routine

If you’ve just moved into a new flat or home or you lack a proper routine in your daily habits, you may be much more prone to misplacing or losing your keys.

What will a locksmith do if you’ve lost your keys?

It depends. If you’ve lost your keys and have spare keys inside your home, they may recommend that you have your locks changed for security reasons.

This is strongly recommended if the keys can be traced back to your property, as it’s practically an invitation to any burglars out there.

If you’ve lost your keys and have no spare set, a locksmith can create a brand new ‘original’, although they’ll most certainly suggest that you change your locks. 

In doing so, they’ll issue you a brand-new key as well as duplicates, if you want them (you should have at least one spare).

If your keys are locked inside the property and there’s no security risk, the locksmith will help you regain access.

In the vast majority of circumstances, a locksmith does not need to drill through your lock in order to open the door.

If the locksmith’s first instinct is to reach for the drill, chances are very good that you’re dealing with a scammer.

In brief, a locksmith will generally do three things if you’ve lost your keys:

  1. Provide entry to the property;
  2. Change the lock(s) affected by the lost key so that the old key will be useless;
  3. Create new keys for the replacement lock(s).

Lock replacement & key replacement go hand in hand

If there is any doubt that your lost keys can be traced back to your property, duplicating your old keys won’t be enough for security and peace of mind.

Most locksmiths will be willing to provide you with a course of action, and it usually involves replacing your locks and creating a whole new set of keys.

Changing your locks can be quite a bit more expensive than duplicating keys, but the cost of a potential burglary can far outweigh that.

In brief, it is strongly recommended that you change your locks if you lost your keys and they can be traced back to your home/business.

Can I get new keys without the original?

A locksmith typically duplicates keys using a key cutting machine, which makes it simple and convenient to cut duplicates of an existing key.

If you’ve lost the original, however, it is still possible to create a key that matches your locks.

This can be done manually by filing a key blank to match the tumbler pins or levers of your existing cylinder or mortice lock.

One circumstance in which it may be worthwhile to cut a new original key is if you’ve dropped your keys in between the crack of your building’s lift or in a surface water drain, for example.

If you’re confident that nobody can later find and use the key to gain access to the building, cutting a new original can be far more affordable than having your locks changed.

How to stop losing your keys: 5 tips

It’s often said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Follow these tips to help avoid you losing your keys in the future:

1. Get spare keys

Having a spare key can make all the difference in getting back into your home or business as soon as possible.

If you lose one, you’ve got a spare.

You can also give your spare key to a family member or trusted friend or neighbour.

2. Keep your home/business tidy

One way to avoid losing your key in a pile of clutter is to reduce clutter altogether. 

Clean out your home/business of all unwanted rubbish and clutter and tidy up piles of soiled clothes into a hamper, for example.

Fewer piles of clutter mean fewer places for your keys to hide.

3. Buy bright, visible keychains

Keychains can be fun, but they can also be practical.

By choosing keychains with bright and vivid colours, you can spot them more easily.

There are also glow-in-the-dark paint colours and fluorescent colours that help your keys really stand out.

4. Use oversized keychains

Ever wonder why some shops (perhaps your late-night chippy) give customers bathroom keys with bulky keychains (like wooden blocks)?

For one, it deters customers from pilfering the keys as they’re intentionally cumbersome, but it’s also a way to make it quite obvious where the key is at any given time.

You don’t have to go overboard, but a slightly large and noticeable keychain can make it a lot harder to lose your keys.

5. Use Bluetooth and app key locators

There are now many smartphone app and Bluetooth-based key locators, such as Apple’s AirTag.

These modern technologies can help you keep tabs on where your keys are at any given time so that you don’t lose or misplace them so easily.

Door key replacement: Getting started

If you’ve lost or misplaced the keys to your home or business in the UK, you should always get in touch with a reputable locksmith near you rather than try to force open the door yourself.

A qualified locksmith can help you regain entry, change locks, and duplicate keys as necessary.

Replacement door key: FAQs

What should I do if I lose my keys?

If you ever lose the keys to your home or business, the first thing you should do is to try to look for them in other pockets or elsewhere on your person.

Then, try to remember where you may have left them and retrace your steps if needed. If you’ve lost them completely, contact a locksmith.

Should I change my locks if I lose my keys?

If you lose your keys, it is generally recommended that you either have your locks rekeyed or replace them altogether.

Lost keys can make it quick and easy for a burglar to gain entry to your property. 

Many home and business insurance providers will not honour a claim if you have knowingly lost your keys and made no efforts to secure your property.

Can a locksmith make new keys for me if I lost the original ones?

In most circumstances, a qualified and experienced locksmith in the UK can create a brand-new set of keys even if you have lost the original set.

If your keys were lost or misplaced, it is often recommended that you either have the locks rekeyed and new keys be cut rather than to cut keys similar to those that were lost.

How can I prevent losing my keys in the future?

Keys are amongst the most frequently lost items in Britain, so it is essential that you try your hardest not to forget them anywhere or to misplace them.

Some general tips include using a colourful and/or oversized keychain, using a tracking device such as an AirTag, or switching to keyless systems such as mechanical or digital keypads.

What should I do if my lost keys had sensitive information?

If your lost keys were engraved or attached to a keyring or keychain with personally identifiable information (e.g. address, name), then it is essential that you take action to secure your property as soon as possible as this is essentially giving anyone that finds the keys an easy way to burglarise the property.

You may also wish to take steps to avoid identity theft if a substantial amount of information was compromised.

What should I do if my lost keys were stolen?

If you suspect that your keys were stolen rather than accidentally dropped or misplaced, you should attempt to contact the police to report the theft.

It is also strongly recommended that you not only replace your keys but also that you have your locks rekeyed or replaced as well with the services of a qualified locksmith in the UK.

Garage door key replacement: Important considerations

When it comes to finding a garage door key replacement, consider the following:

  • Identify the garage door key type and brand.
  • Contact a reputable locksmith or dealer for replacement.
  • Provide proof of ownership to ensure security.
  • Consider rekeying the entire garage system for enhanced security.
  • Compare prices and services from different providers.
  • Verify the new key's functionality before leaving the location.
  • Store the new key in a secure and easily accessible place.

Replacing door key: Closing thoughts

Here are some closing thoughts:

  • If you lose your keys, try to find them first. If you can't find them, contact the police and your insurance company. Then call a locksmith.
  • If there's any chance that your lost keys could be traced back to your property, change your locks.
  • You can get new keys without the original. A locksmith can file a key blank to match your existing lock.
  • To prevent losing your keys, get spare keys, keep your home/business tidy, buy bright keychains, and use oversized keychains.

If you need replacement keys for your home or business, start using Rated Locksmiths today.